Just a Tad

Producing a Pilot

I've been busy.  Obviously that business did not include blogging but I ran into my usual obstacle of not being able to write about my work because networks like to keep that stuff under wraps.

Worse, we're in the design stage of my pilot so I have exploratory sketches, sketches with my notes and then "almost" final designs which would really show the creative/decision making process.  Can't show those either.

But I hate to post without visuals so I'm populating this blog with the work of Chris Schweizer  who has released the third book of his Crogan's Adventures series, CROGAN'S LOYALTY.  Allow me to link to an incredible preview.  Each book stands alone.  If you are interested in history, genealogy, great graphic storytelling or want to get someone interested in any of those, this is the series for you.

I am not developing the Crogan books for Disney.

But I have been greenlit to pilot on a show for the Disney Jr. Channel.  So once again I will attempt  to talk about something without talking about it.

The script process went smoothly, suprisingly so, at least for them.  They'll often go through a half dozen rewrites before they get a draft close enough to start thinking about production. Actually they told me "17 drafts" but I'm guessing they were exaggerating for humorous effect.  But if you reach more than four drafts of a script, somebody isn't listening or they're clinging to their babies. Big rule of development: LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN.

A huge reason for my success with this pilot script is that they are looking for exactly what I was trained to do, create character oriented comedy and action with heart.  The challenge is getting that into 11 minute episodes.  But aside from that, I was always willing to make major changes to get the tone closer to what they wanted.  Note that they give fewer notes on pilot stories than they do on episodes because they want the creative lead to find the show he's excited about doing... as long as it overlaps with what they're excited about. Episodes come under the scrutiny of Broadcast Standards, educational advisors and what not.

When writing a pilot, never be afraid to dump a gag, favorite line or even a storybeat if it's getting in the way.  If the series is approved to production, you'l have plenty of episodes to give those gems a home.  

A note I got on the second draft suggested that my script was a little too sophisticated for the the Disney Junior audience.  This is what I feared.  I don't think I can write DORA THE EXPLORER or even WINNIE THE POOH.  When Karl Geurs and Mark Zaslove created the original Pooh series for the Disney Channel, I told them how much I admired it and admitted, "I can't get there from here."  So the idea that I might have to simplify concepts, soften action or reduce vocabulary gave me the willies.

Thankfully, the willies were short lived.  The development execs explained they only wanted me to include more visual comedy.  Shades of Chuck Jones!  I love that stuff.  The fact that I had decided to make the antagonist a silent character played right into this.

The script was approved and the design process has started.  The series is based on a Disney feature but not an animated one, so there was no design style set.  I was forced to venture into the treacherous landscape of "I'll know it when I see it."

I think I've stated in previous posts that a animation character designer usually survives by being a chameleon who can design a sea urchin shoe salesman for SpongeBob Squarepants as well as the latest villain to face the Batman.  Disney suggested a couple of artists and I hit the internet (and if you're a professional artist without some sort of web page, blog or Deviantart posting you are missing a lot of potential employment).  

The first two guys came up with some really fun designs but they didn't have the solidity we were looking for.  The pilot has action that calls for traditional animation that will have some depth to the action.  Although it's a comedy, it's not a flat, all action right to left, left to right show.  I gave some notes but the artists' second passes were still missing the ballpark.  Note: I probably could have directed these guys into a direction we felt suitable but I was looking for an artist who would surprise me.  Luckily the third artist turned in a slew of designs well with in the ballpark and a couple were home runs.  We're on our way.

We've also met on casting, music and BG design.   Some of which I'll discuss next time around.  Don't forget to check out Crogan's Loyalty !                           --Tad

Drawings

I got nothin'

Fan Fiction Friction

Hello, my name is Tad Stones and I have inspired fan fiction.

Lots of it evidently.  Not only with my "furry" series, CHIP 'N' DALE'S RESCUE RANGERS and DARKWING DUCK but with most of my other Disney shows that added characters to the worlds created by the feature films. The fans that write stories based on them undoubtedly know those worlds better than me.  

They don't just tell stories with the existing characters.  They create new characters to flesh out the stories.  I am constantly being asked to read the stuff and give an opinion.

And I never do.

The general reason for my reluctance is a legal one.  I'm still an active writer in the animation industry. It's feasible that I could work with those characters again and I can't risk someone thinking I stole an idea from them.  Of course, the chances of a new Darkwing series is a longshot but I don't need anyone thinking a given plot point or gag came from their stuff even if the characters and settings are different.

But the main reason I avoid it is that it tends to be a lose/lose situation. I don't want break the heart of a fan by judging it like I would if they were a writer on the show but that's the only way I CAN judge it. I might consider giving notes if they were looking for constructive criticism but only if I knew them really well.  Many people who SAY they want criticism don't. They just want me to be thrilled with their work. That's an emotional land mine I'd rather step around.

And if the story turns out to be great and the writing wonderful ... I'd tell them to stop.  Why?

I get the appeal of fan fiction. It's not only the writing of new stories about favorite characters. It's about sharing the stories with a community of fans.

A fan fiction writer gets feedback and, well, fans. It's akin to working on staff on a series. Both writers are building on a shared universe. Most of my television career is made of series and movies based on pre-existing feature films so in some way I and my staff were doing the same thing. 

Sometimes fans take on the personalities of their new characters for online role playing which is really more a form of improv than writing.  That's a creative outlet that's usually outside "normal" TV writing although some of my staff did it at least once.  It was an online chat for a Disney Channel site. Kids got the chance to talk to their favorite characters.  I think it was for Disney's Hercules.  I know at least Bob Schooley, Mark McCorkle and I were there so that the characters could answer questions in character.   

But the most fun I had on a series was on Darkwing Duck because the only character that wasn't original was a revamped version of Launchpad McQuack.  In an original series, there's not the same comfort zone you get working with a pre-made world and its cast, but it's awesome creating all that stuff from the ground up.

This post is illustrated with the character, Malicia Macawber, the Demon Queen of St. Canard.  She's the creation of Angie Shea who runs The Old Haunt, a Darkwing Duck fansite.  That's all I know about the character because of the above reasons. (And frankly, the "Demon Queen" stuff I learned just now when search for the attached link.)  

Even in ignorance, I can't help thinking that it would be great if Angie and company took their creations out of St. Canard, scrubbed them clean of any Disney connections and published a shared anthology on Kindle.  Imagine!  Creators being paid for creating.  Pretty sweet.  

Talking about fandom in any way can be tricky.  People are quick to get defensive or assume they're being attacked.   But what I'm saying boils down to this:  Be inspired by the things you love then take the bigger step of creating something of your own.  Then share it.  

You'll end up inspiring others.     --Tad

Seasons Greetings

This is a card I did for my friends at iFanboy who run one of the best podcasts and comic sites on the net. I got the basic idea for this last year after they posted an earlier card of mine.  I sketched the initial idea for this one on a napkin.  Classic.  God knows where that thing is, we moved!  I'm lucky if I can find socks.

I know the original sketch had the opening and closing panels pretty much as they are.  I know I also had the Santa cookie eating panel, the milk drinking and probably the crumbs.  I was intrigued by the idea of making each panel a graphic puzzle but I backed off in favor of clarity.

I didn't do the color.  When I gave it to Ron Richards, the San Francisco iFanboy, I said I'd like to see sort of a retro color style, like a silk screen print slightly out of alignment.  Ron got a recommendation from Jim McCann , the Eisner winning author of THE RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN (see a preview at that link).  Jim pointed Ron at Dan McDaid.  Man, he fit the bill perfectly.   He didn't do the silk screen thing but came up with textures that really made the "card" look rich and... well, "Christmassy."  Ron tied a bow on the package by giving the gutters an old cardstock color.  Voila, a Christmas greeting for the iFanbase.

So it's just a small piece of art for some friends that came out way better than expected.  But I have to confess that I wanted to add one last panel.  I wanted toddler versions of Ron, Josh and Conor, stunned, wide-eyed, pressing their faces pressed between the posts of a stairway bannister.  Alas, the concept was beyond my talent.

Maybe I need another napkin.  Best wishes of the season to you all.

--Tad

How to Pitch an Animated Series Pt. : Seriously, Are We Still Counting?

By far my most popular posts are those about pitching series and the development process.  If you haven't read them, it's worth checking out the archives.  I had a development meeting over at Disney Jr. just the other day and we got to talking about how things used to work... back in the day ...in olden times ...when dinosaurs walked the earth ...when Tad shifted over to Disney TV Animation.  

Every studio or network has their own method but the generally development is a series of steps:  pitch, outline, script, bible/marketing tool, (storybook), storyboard, animatic, pilot, focus group, and series. All that can take from nine months to a year or more, especially if things aren't going smoothly.

There's a reason for each of those steps.  Their ultimate goal is to remove any element of chance from the creation of a hit show.  But that ain't gonna happen.  The thing that's going to hit big with kids can change with every beat of a gnat's wing but that doesn't mean that process isn't useful.  There's plenty of useful information to be gleaned from each of those steps.  

Of course, more cynical individuals than I would say most of that is execs protecting their butts from higher ups. This theory says that if all the data points to success, a development executive can't be blamed if the show doesn't perform.  When the DROIDS and EWOKS animated shows tanked the response was a shrug and, "Who knew it could miss?  It was STAR WARS."  Whatever the reason those steps are ingrained in the industry.  The group I was talking to the other day had a hard time imagining producing shows without animatics or developing them without fully animated pilots.

But back in the mid-eighties when Disney TV Animation was starting up, the process was only pitch, outline, script, series.  There were only three places to sell animation in the US and they were ABC, NBC and CBS. You'd present about three art cards, if that, the premise of the show and talk about the lead characters.  Based on that ten minute conversation you'd get deal for a script and bible and you'd get that decision at that meeting!  You'd pitch in the Fall, get green lit to series in April and be on the air in September.  The system wasn't designed for quality productions and Disney pushed, and got, earlier pick-ups.

Those network execs made their decisions based on the overall concept and how the characters played in the script. And eight times out of ten, they went for something with marquee value like a known superhero, a popular movie or TV series or a big toy line. Those things didn't guarantee success but the hit and miss record of the seventies and eighties of the networks then was no worse than today.  

You may think that today's system blands out ideas.  Too many cooks in the kitchen, too much micro management. Taking a pilot to full animation for multiple focus group screenings may seem like butt covering but it actually allows the networks to take greater risks.

I bet there are more original animated series on TV today than at any other time in history. Plenty of them don't have anything approaching a high concept.  A sponge living on the bottom of the sea? Kids fighting boredom by inventing impossible in their backyard?  A 23-year-old racoon and blue jay? How do those pitches say "hit?"

But if the execs believes in the creativity of the show runners, they'll chance a script, then storyboard, animatic and finally a full pilot.  At every step the creator gets the opportunity to show what was in his head and flesh it out.  Meanwhile, the development folks aren't risking a huge outlay of cash all at once.  Ideas get a chance to breathe, mutate and adapt.

The role of the development exec has changed in a big way.   Today they are partners in the creative process, at least through development. They will call your show, their show and from their perspective it is.  They bought it, they nurtured it and they saw to your care and feeding.   That's a good thing because you want them on board, fighting for your show at every step of the way. In fact, at some studios the development exec may become a producer on a series. 

There've always been executives who take a producing title on a series or movie even if their role is insignificant but some may actually roll of their sleeves and do some heavy lifting.  But this is most likely to be the situation if the show isn't completely yours.  

I have two shows in development.   My show at Cartoon Network is 100% my idea.  My show at Disney Jr. is my adaptation of a Disney owned property.  At CN the execs explained why they bought my idea, pushed me to go wilder in my gags and character development and talked about the likes and dislikes of the audience that they want my show to appeal to.   They push but they wait to see if I step up to the challenge.

At Disney Jr., the lead characters I'm working with were created by someone else in a different medium. Since they appeared in more than one movie, they are considered a "Disney Brand."  That means my ideas had to get the go ahead from an internal brand management committee that decides what brands merit expansion (a big plus: they are ready to help promote the show throughout the company if it hits).  My current deal is only for the writing, although, given my Disney experience, the expectation is that I'll be the show runner if it goes to series.  But I'm working on their characters.

Currently, I'm in my second draft of the pilot script.  While I do that, my development exec is getting artists to work on character designs.  She's 100% open to my input and suggestions but if I keeled over dead tomorrow, the she would continue working on the show.  At this stage of development, she's the one shepherding the show, not me.  She is also the one with the resources that I count on to help me create a series that is partially targeted to pre-schoolers.  

The day to day experience of working on either show will be just as creative for me.  I'll take responsibility for the Disney Jr. show as much as for my original characters on Cartoon Network.  I've always enjoyed the process of creation and development executives are part of that process.  I'm sure there are sour apples out there but 95% of the execs I've worked with were not just "suits" but assets.

                                                                            --Tad

 

 

 

 

More Exploring

Who needs words?

I'm posting before I delete.  Some of these have something but my "inking" mostly obscured it.

Fighting My Rut

It's been too long.  I attended the CTN Animation Expo last weekend and had several professionals tell me they liked my blog, especially the articles about pitching.

Well, I'll try to come up with more to say about pitching but for now I'm going to talk about my creative process.  That was actually the point of this blog.  I want to explore the creative process of myself and others. So I'm going to do that in a new way by being very specific.

I love graphic storytelling. There is a type of entertainment that a comic can do that can't be duplicated in any other medium. I love how you can play with the panel by panel progression, the page turn and the impact of the page as a whole.

Digital comics can erase some of that but possibly brings its own strengths.  In any case, I'd love to create my own comic. I fully intend to but it will have to wait until I'm running an animated show as opposed to being one of the gogs in the machine.  It's simple economics.  If I'm boarding during the day, my free time is better spent developing new shows than by playing on the comic page.

However, that doesn't mean I'm not thinking of that comic in my future.  So rather than keep things a secret, I'll share the development of that comic whether it ever gets produced or not.

First off, there are two potential stories/casts/franchises that I want to play with.   One is EMMARYN and you can read my earlier attempt at her story in this very blog.  That's what the archive is for.  I've been told I was too hard on myself.  Maybe.  It will be interesting to return to it with fresh eyes.  The second idea already had interest from a comic publisher.  It's my animated pitch for ROCKET WYLDE AND THE PLANET SAVERS.  That's the one I'm playing with now.

So I'm thinking about Rocket, the kid, the lead, the center of my, possibly ongoing, story.  My default kid that I pitch is super energetic, impulsive and an impressive lack of common sense.  If you've watched Darkwing Duck, you've seen this kid.  Gosalyn Mallard.  I realized that Rocket, at least in the nebulous clouds of procreation between my ears is another chip off this block.

Now, I'm fully aware that I may return to this exact character type for Rocket but first I want to explore a bit.  I've mentioned ANYA'S GHOST by Vera Brosgol before.  At least I think I have.   I thought I did a whole post about it but I guess I just linked to it.  It's a wonderful story that is part slice of life young adult novel and part creeping, suspenseful horror.  I cannot recommend it highly enough.  Please, please, buy it and support true originality in graphic novels.  C'mon, give it a present. I bought it on a whim and was totally wowed by it. Neil Gaiman agrees with me. Here's a quick impression:

Vera Brosgol created a sympathetic but flawed heroine who becomes a better through the events of the story.  So beyond the action, suspense, personality stuff, there is a heart beating that gives the story richness.  This really affected me more than any comic in recent memory.  It impressed the hell out of me.

EMMARYN definitely has the potential for that kind of heart but I never thought much about it for the adventures of Rocket Wylde.  I can fill a story this action, both thrilling and gag-filled and entertaining characters but how much better if would be if the story had a pulse, a warm center that makes you really care.  Pragmatically, I'd rather write/draw a single, self contained graphic novel than a series anyway.  If I do my job right I can write another novel building on the characters and events of the first but still self contained.

So I've started exploring the design of Rocket.  Maybe he should be less cocky looking, less self assured. Here's some sketches I did the other night.  My first thought was to soften his hair to make him more vunerable looking.  

Check out #1.  Granted, I swung the pendulum a bit small in the other direction.  It's not that he couldn't work but he seems too young.  Yet, that could be a plus.  The basic conceit of The Planet Savers is that a kid resurrects the powerful guardians of a planet or at least toddler versions of them. He constantly struggles to control them.   A younger kid is going to have more trouble with that which leads to more gags.  After a few days away from this design, I can totally see it working.  If this was an animated series, I'd have trouble selling an action adventure protagonist this young but the great thing about comics, at least my comics, is that I don't have to consider that.

#2 is a slightly older version.  Costuming is going to be a major deal in itself.  I want it to look comfortable but of a different time, a future time.  But this doodle is bland to me.  It screams, "Redraw me with a personality!"  

#3 pushes outside of my box.  Forget the floppy hair and replace it with something short, almost "just returned from the barber and my first haircut" short.  This kid seems real to me.  He looks like a sidekick and that may be exactly what I'm looking for - a kid that you don't expect to step forward and be the hero.  There's a bit of Charlie Brown in him.   But as much as I like his face and what I'm seeing in his eyes, the rest is a mess.  I perched him on skinny legs to just shake things up. The shapes contrast but not in a  pleasing way.

#4 over on the left is an attempt to explore this new guy.  I lost something here.  Does he need the baggy eyes?  It doesn't seem like the same kid.  Giving him a stocky body makes him look like a toddler.  I'm not excited.

The little scribbles at the bottom are playing with him in action poses.

So the exploration will continue.  Strangely, I feel like I should nail down his outfit.  How futuristic should he be?  How nebbishy?  We'll see. Feel free to speak up about any of the sketches above.

See you sooner than later,

--Tad

Play Nice

I'm sitting in the Toyota Service department as my car is worked on.   I can't work on my development stuff so I thought I should write something for my blog.

It's no surprise that I can't seem to update this blog regularly.  I can't even maintain a consistent Twitter feed.  That must sound odd to anyone who has heard me interviewed because I will go on and on for freakin' hours talking about all sorts of crap.  

I did so recently when I was interviewed by Steve Huellet at The Animation Guild, Local 839.  I broke
their record for length of interview.  You can listen to it here.  While you're there, listen to the rest because there's some great history and insights contained in those oral histories.

I checked in after my interview was posted.  Someone in the comments called me a "diplomat,"  I guess that was for not trashing various execs or FolksWhoHaveWrongedMe.  In reality, I'M STILL IN THE BUSINESS.  I may find myself working for or with those people again.  Or even more likely, I might be up for a job where someone who is in a position to hire me asks a friend, "Say, you worked with Tad Stones.   What was that like?"

And that person might not have an important position but is just someone who shared space with me.  Or you, when you're looking for a job.   There was a Big Name Guy of the 70s and 80s who really changed the comic industry with his work... buuuuuuut he's known to be a bit of a jerk.  A young artist showed him his portfolio at a convention to get some constructive input but Big Name Guy sort of put on a show for his friends by trashing the artist.  There was nothing constructive about it.

FLASH FORWARD!  That young artist is a storyboard artist for a major director.  Big Name Guy has submitted his work for a storyboard position -- really, really good work.  The director turns to the young artist, "You know comics.  What's the story on this guy?"

"I don't know.  I only met him once and he treated me like a dick."   And with that, the portfolio of wonderful art was put on the reject pile.  And there is nothing unfair about that. The young artist wasn't being malicious or anything.  He just spoke his first impression of Big Name Guy. 

In film and television, it's not just about the quality of your work.  It's about working in the trenches with someone.  These are highly collaborative mediums and it's hard collaborating with an assbite. 

So don't be one.

 

 

Behind the Scenes

 

Not my scenes this time but the scenes of DON QUIXOTE by Rob Davis.

"I thought you were too busy to post," said the fan as he examined the horse's teeth.  Correct, but I just spent a couple of days correcting the perspective of a classroom scene and resizing all the characters for continuity.  I'm bad at perspective, I just am.  Since it was a classroom, there were LOTS of characters to be dealt with.  Not fun stuff but, hey, I'm being paid to draw.

Before lunch I was told the scene is being rewritten and, BTW, it's being reset to the school cafeteria.

Sigh.   Like I said, being paid so I can't get too upset.   But since we're awaiting the rewrite there's time to post.  Duncan Fergredo, the great Hellboy artist, twitted a link to the work of Rob Davis.  I instantly took to the simple lines, strong action and energy of the linked drawings.

Turns out he's been doing wonderful work in a variety of styles.  But I really like the loose feeling of this project.  Loose but absolutely solid.

Lucky for me, and by default, you, he wrote his own blog post about the reasons he chose this style for Don Quixote and his method of working.   Just the type of stuff I wanted this blog to be about.  So it's a short post from me but a juicy treasure on the other end of this LINK.  Check it out and ask Amazon to let you know when DON QUIXOTE comes up for sale.  

I have to see what's happening in the cafeteria.  -- Tad

 

 

Still Learning

Awaiting notes.  I have time.  I have a computer.  I have nothing really to say.

But that hasn't stopped me before.

I haven't posted anything in like... forever because I storyboard all day for Bento Box Entertainment then make a too long commute home where I storyboard my pilot for Cartoon Network.  If I could manage on less sleep I would because the going is slow.   

But this schedule has pushed me waaaaaaaaaay out of my comfort zone which is a good thing.  The animation community is filthy with incredible artists and I've been spoiled over the years by having budgets that allow me hire them to make me look good.  At this point the pilot is squarely on me so I've had to design not only characters but props and backgrounds.  Eventually they'll be redesigned by some of those talent filthy art types but for now I can't just scribble something and move on.  Whether or not my pilot moves to the next stage will be determined by the reaction to my board.  So just as I build up a little steam I have to stop and design the next locale.

But  all this drawing has made me improve and the fact that I'm sorta working in the style of my character designer is allowing me to look at my work in a fresh way.  I'm even liking my drawings!

My dad had the Famous Artist Cartooning Course.  I've posted pages from it in the past.  Their mantra was "You Learn To Draw By Drawing."  It's true.   When I started work at Disney, it was the sheer volume of drawing that turned talent into a sort of muscle memory.  But when I moved to Imagineering then back to features and TV, I drew less and less.  Sure I sketched and drew presentation artwork from time to time, but most of my day was filled with meetings and writing.

But this latest immersion in drawing is different for me because it's not my default style, whatever that may have been.   By day I'm working on Allen Gregory, a new prime time show for this Fall on Fox.  

The style of the show is about as far away from my natural design sense as you could have.  But making it work, getting the hang of it, and the daily routine of bashing my head against the wall until I can draw the characters the same in any two panels has exercised different lobes in my brain.  (To be clear, the head bashing is self inflicted in search of excellence.)  In a few weeks, I'll be back on BOB'S BURGERS for the second season, also nothing like my drawing style.  (That requires bashing a different part of my brain or at least a different wall.)  But it's all like doing the equivalent of doing a full exercise routine instead of just working on your biceps.  

So my work at home is a huge artistic release.  I'm proud of the work I'm doing during daylight hours but every show has its own rules about moving the camera, type of gags allowed, pacing, etc. but I get to set all that on my pilot so I'm supercharged when I sit down to work.

That lasts a good ten minutes or so before, "Why isn't this going faster?!!"  I can be a bastard to work for.  I'm way behind from where I wanted to be but Cartoon Network has been very  understanding.  They've seen most of what I've done so far, set to a temp track of my voice.  I put in way more poses than I should have at this stage.  Since the opening is a sort of self-contained "end of the last adventure" sequence I decided to go all out to communicate the tone of the rest of the episode.

I also put extra work into the introduction of the antagonist... which unfortunately involved practically animating twenty or so cats.  But the payoff is that the sequence is so funny that my wife thinks the show should be about the cats.   Wait, does that mean she doesn't like the other stuff?  Damn!

When writing the script, actually in the rewriting, things get refined to the point of feeling stale-- at least to me who's doing all those revisions.  Thankfully, as chronicled earlier in this blog, I listened to the spirit of the development notes instead of the particulars and wrote brand new sequences into what technically should have been just a polish pass.   That freshened things up.

Then when I went to storyboard and had to immediately cut five pages out of the script.  Those pages weren't wasted.  They were valuable in helping find the tone of the show, feeling out the characters, creating sequences that may pop up in other episodes and generally making us all feel comfortable enough to move onto the next stage.  But there's no way I was going to board an extra five minutes or so of material that would have to be cut.  Who does that writer think he is?

But I had to cut a LOT of funny stuff.  An entire character was excised who I thought would be in every episode.  But in an eleven minute cartoon every new character drastically takes away from the time with the leads.  Those are the ones the show depends on.  Those are the characters I'm selling.

Having watched the writers on BOB'S throw out gold to weave platinum, I'm taking the liberty to rewrite dialogue as I go to allow for new gags or increase story clarity.  I can do that because I have the permission of the producer ...who is also me.

At this point I'm surprisingly pleased with the quality of the work.  I'm afraid I'm going to have to lean on my artist to do fewer panels and poses at this stage.   They'll be needed for the animatic but for now I need the board roughed out to the end!  Jeez, the guy is such a prima donna!  

Glad to have had a little time to type to you.  Thank you for the kind comments about this blog while I was away.  Someday I hope to actually share what I'm drawing. --Tad